As a former governor from outside Indonesia's political and military elite, Ganjar Pranowo is banking on his populist appeal and folksy charm to stay in contention in the Feb. 14 presidential election, where he is struggling to make a mark. With a humble background and affable, man-of-the-people style strikingly similar to two-term President Joko Widodo, Ganjar was a shoo-in to succeed him, buoyed by the assumed backing of the wildly popular incumbent. But his political clout is now crumbling after Widodo, better known as Jokowi, betrayed his own party and started tacitly campaigning for rival candidate and former military hard man Prabowo Subianto.
Indonesia and Vietnam will need to balance their sustainability ambitions and financing, with the reality that many of the power systems already approved for construction will be coal-fired.